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S .S. HARV EY. CARRIAGE APRON.

(No Model.)

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Patented Sept. 13,1881.

I Wit/eases: I

7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

SAMUEL S. HARVEY, OF PENSACOLA, FLORIDA.

CARRlAGE-APRONQ SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.247,055, dated September 13, 1881.

Application filed July 12, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. HARVEY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Pensacola, in the county ofEscambia and State of Florida, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Attaching Carriage- Aprons; and 1 do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the ac com panyingdrawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, whichform a part of this specification.

The object of the present invention is to attacha weather or storm apronto the dashboard and top of a carriage, so that an unbroken or regularwater-shed is formed and contact with the legs of the sitter isobviated, ample provision being also made for permitting the apron to bereadily attached and detached.

The invention consists in a carriage-apron having a metal clamp,spring-jaws, or other fastening device permanently attached to the underside thereof, nearits front edge, so that when said apron is attached tothe top edge or rim of the dash-board through the medium. of said clampand connected with the carriagetop by means of buttons, knobs, andeyelets, a regular unbroken or inclined surface will be formed forconducting the water beyond the front of the dash-board.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 1s a sectional view, representingmy plan of attachin g a weather-apron to the dash-hoard and top of acarriage. Fig. 2 is a bottom view of an apron provided with clampingdevices nea its lower edge.

The aprons heretofore in use for protecting the occupants of carriagesin rainy weather are defective and unsatisfactory, because when they areattached to the inner side of the dashboard they will cause rain or snowto accumulate and settle down inside of the carriage, and when anattachable and detachable apron is used which has a pocket for receivingthe rim of the dashboard the tearing out of said pocket occurs quitefrequently, and the weight of the apron causes it to drop upon the kneesof the occupant and permits the forming of a pool of water between thedash and seat. An apron provided with a pocket cannot be made to fitdash-boards made wider than said pocket, and it also interferes with theeasy placing of the whip in the socket.

My invention obviates the defects above stated, and may be described asan apron, A, which is made of any desired material and of any approvedsize, and has two or more fastening devices, B, attached to the underside thereof, near its front edge. In the present instance the fasteningdevice is a metallic clamp consisting of a transverse plate and twovertical rigid jaws or flanges, 0, having a set or clamping screw, D,passed through one of said jaws.

A clamp constructed as above described is permanently secured to theunder side of the apron by means of screws E, which pass through aplate, F, on the upper side of the curtain and enter the transverseplate of the clamp. In this manner or by rivets used in place of thescrews the apron is firmly secured to the clamps, so that the lattercannot be torn oli' when the apron is stretched.

The jaws or flanges D embrace or sit astride the top rim of thedashboard or the metallic guard-rail arranged above said top rim, andthe screw serves as a medium for securin g the clamp in place. The sideof the transverse plate adjoining the rim of the dash-board is generallygrooved or channeled, so as to properly receive or fit on said rim.

It will be obvious that two clamps will suflice to secure the apron tothe dash-board, although more may be used, if desired; and in place ofthe set-screw and rigid jaws I may use spring-jaws or friction-clampsfor attaching the apron to the dash-board. An apron having permanentfastening devices secured to the under side thereof, as shown, willpermit the front edge of said apron to project in front of thedash-board, and when the apron is thus attached and also secured to thecarriage-top at or near the upper portion thereof a regular or unbrokenwater-shed is formed, which will serve to conduct the water beyond thefront of the dash-board.

The fastening devices for securin g the apron to the carriage-top arethose generally employed for this purpose-viz, buttons, knobs, andeyelets or tabs.

It Will be apparent that an apron having 5 my fastening devices can beattached to dashboards of varying widths and that the whipsocket isreadily accessible.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Let- It; ters Patent, is

An attachable and detachable carriage-apron having fastening devicespermanently secured to the under side thereof, at or near its frontedge, for receiving the top rim of a dash-board or guard-rail of acarriage, as and for the pur- I 5 pose herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

S. S. HARVEY. Witnesses:

W. A. S. WHEELER, FRANK MAURA.

